What to Do with Apartment Mold

Property owners often do their best to keep their units clean for tenants and prospective renters. Unfortunately, they are not able to control everything. If something goes wrong or a leak is not found mold can develop. Apartment mold is a difficult problem to remediate and a hassle for everyone involved. If you do find mold in your unit there are a few things you can do in order to help take care of the problem.

Take Pictures and Call Your Landlord

When you’re the tenant, proper documentation of any issues in your apartment is critical. That is why writing down issues and taking pictures is important. If you spot mold, the first thing you should do is contact the landlord. Be sure to email them even after you call them because this helps provide a paper trail. It is their responsibility to repair their property, but your rights will be protected as long as you have documentation and evidence.

Wait for an Air Quality Test

Before apartment mold can be removed it is important to discover what type of mold there is. This will help professionals be able to get rid of it properly. It can also help your doctor if you’re having issues with the mold. Your doctor can help with the temporary health problems while the mold problem is being taken care of.

Document Everything

Most likely, your landlord will want to take care of the problem immediately. It is just good business practice to handle it as soon as possible. Some landlords may push back, however. This is why it is important to document everything on your end. If you need to speak with a lawyer in order to protect your rights things will go much easier if you have everything documented on your end. Legal action might even push the landlord into taking action against the problem.

Worst Case: Move Out

Moving out is a last resort option, but your health is the most important factor here. If you’re having severe negative health effects from the mold and your landlord refuses to do anything about it even after the legal process begins then moving out may be your only recourse. You must notify the landlord that you are breaking your lease early and recruit that you get your full security deposit back. There is no guarantee the landlord will agree to these terms, but if you have filed a lawsuit against them you will at least have done all you can do.